Palin makes a positive impression

Rasmussen Reports:

Sarah Palin has made a good first impression. Before being named as John McCain’s running mate, 67% of voters didn’t know enough about the Alaska governor to have an opinion. After her debut in Dayton and a rush of media coverage, a new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds that 53% now have a favorable opinion of Palin while just 26% offer a less flattering assessment.

Palin earns positive reviews from 78% of Republicans, 26% of Democrats and 63% of unaffiliated voters. Obviously, these numbers will be subject to change as voters learn more about her in the coming weeks. Among all voters, 29% have a Very Favorable opinion of Palin while 9% hold a Very Unfavorable view.

By way of comparison, on the day he was selected as Barack Obama’s running mate, Delaware Senator Joseph Biden was viewed favorably by 43% of voters.

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Palin’s selection may have already provided a short-term boost for McCain by muting any further convention bounce following Obama’s successful acceptance speech on Thursday night. The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll on Saturday shows little change from the numbers released on Friday morning.

In the new survey, 35% of voters say the selection of Palin makes them more likely to vote for McCain while 33% say they are less likely to do so. Most Republicans say they are more likely to vote for Palin and most Democrats say the opposite. As for voters not affiliated with either major party, 37% are more likely to vote for McCain and 28% less likely to do so. Those numbers are a bit more positive than initial reaction to Biden.

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I like the choice at this point. The more I read about Palin and her family I like them all. It is encouraging to see that she has had a bigger positive impact on independent voters than Biden did. At this point it suggest she is more of a plus. The Democrats have two months to try to drag her down, but it will be a very delicate task and I don't think she is an easy target.